1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bioclean room unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Patients whose immunity has been weakened, for example, need to be isolated for having treatment in a germ-free living space (bioclean room) in a hospital for a few weeks. As such a germ-free living space for treatment, a bioclean room unit is generally known.
A conventional bioclean room unit is shown in FIG. 1 in which the reference symbol a denotes a frame body. The frame body a comprises a box b with a fan unit therein; beams c attached at their one ends to upper lateral ends of the box b to extend horizontally away from the box b; a beam d arranged to interconnect the other ends of the beams c; a beam e arranged parallel to the beam d so as to interconnect intermediate portions of the beams c; and pillars f arranged upright to be connected with other ends of the beams c.
A top plate (not shown) is fixed to the frame body a and a transparent plastic curtain g which may be opened and shut is provided on three sides of the frame body a other than that on the box b. In this way, the bioclean room h defined by the box b, the top plate and the curtain g of the frame body a is formed inside the bioclean room unit, a bed i being placed inside the bioclean room h.
On a side surface of the box b, provided are air intakes j from which air k is taken into the box b by the fan unit in the box b. On a surface of the box b facing the bioclean room h, provided are air blow outlets 1 so as to blow the air toward a head of a patient lying on the bed i.
The air k taken into the box b from the air intakes j is made dust-free by dust removing means in the fan unit. The air k thus cleaned is blown from the air blow outlets 1 into the bioclean room h to flow from a head side to a foot side of the patient. In this way, the bioclean room h is kept germ-free.
A flow rate of the clean air k blown from the air blow outlets 1 into the bioclean room h is adjusted with a remote switch while the patient is treated from outside of the bioclean room unit by means of a head port and a glove box.
The bioclean room unit as described above, however, has the following disadvantages.
i) Since the fan unit is in the box b on the head side of the patient, sources of noise such as the fan and the air blow outlets 1 are positioned close to the patient's head. Under such circumstances, the patient is unlikely to feel comfortable in the space.
ii) Since the air k is constantly taken in from the outside, the dust removing means such as filters in the fan unit and a high efficiency particulate air filter (called as HEPA filter) are easily contaminated. This requires frequent replacement of the dust removing means, possibly resulting in increase in cost.
iii) Whenever somebody comes in or out or brings supplies into or out from the bioclean room h, the remote switch must be switched to increase or decrease the quantity of the air k via the air blow outlets 1 in connection with opening or shutting of the curtain g. In such a case, the operator might omit to switch on or off.
iv) The space in the bioclean room h is so small as to make the patient staying inside feel oppressed.
v) Since the head side of the patient is occluded by the box b, the patient cannot reach and operate a medical console on a wall of a sickroom.
vi) The pillars installed upright and oppositely on the foot side of the patient make it difficult to bring or carry the bed i into and out of the bioclean room h and block the view on the foot side of the patient.
The present invention was made in view of the above and has its object to provide a bioclean room unit which affords comfortableness to a patient staying inside, which has good operativeness and is less costly, which is broad in space and less oppressive, which allows the patient to use a medical console on a wall of a sickroom and which facilitates carrying in and out of a bed and provides improved visibility on the foot side of the patient.